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Aleksander Szymczyk, Riley Kugel report to Florida for enrollment

Untitled_design__8_-removebg-previewby:Pat O'Donnell•08/19/22•

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New Florida commit Riley Kugel (right) with Gators associate head coach Korey McCray, his primary recruiter.

Florida Gators men’s basketball freshman forward Aleksander Szymczyk and freshman guard Riley Kugel reported to campus on Friday for fall enrollment, Gators Online has confirmed.

The entirety of UF’s roster is now on campus and will prepare for the 2022-23 season. Florida will take the court for the first time on Nov. 7 against Stony Brook in Gainesville.

Szymczyk and Kugel were the final two additions to Gators head coach Todd Golden’s inaugural team.

Kugel, who originally signed with Mississippi State, announced his commitment to Florida on May 23. He joins the Gators with Dr. Phillips High School teammate Denzel Aberdeen, who enrolled earlier this summer.

“We are very excited to add Riley to our program,” Golden said following Kugel’s commitment. “Riley brings all the tools to become an impactful play-making guard, in addition to great size. He has advanced ball-skills and a natural feel for how to play the game. We’re looking forward to his continued growth as he joins our team and Gator Nation.”

On3 pinned Kugel as the No. 47 overall player in the 2022 class as the No. 5 overall shooting guard.

After Kugel signed, the Gators still had one spot. It was clear the UF coaches were looking to bring in some size, and they did just that with the addition of Szymczyk.

The German power forward stands at 6-foot-10, 233 pounds. Although he is just a freshman, he provides plenty of length and ability on the glass, where the Gators struggled last season.

The addition of Szymczyk was Golden’s first international addition, something he said he’d do at Florida during his introductory press conference.

“We’ll look internationally,” Golden said. “We’ll look in the portal; we’ll do everything we need to do. The main key is to recruit highly motivated student athletes that are great basketball players that are passionate and prideful for being here at the University of Florida.”

Now, both Szymczyk and Kugel will get to prove themselves as they seek to earn minutes as true freshmen.

Stay tuned to Gators Online.

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